In 2017 we wondered whether science-fiction writers could help us reimagine the future of health and healthcare. Some 400,000 words, 145 entries, and 6 shortlisted stories later, not to mention coverage in the Guardian, serialisation in the BMJ, and sold-out events at the House of St Barnabas and the Old Operating Theatre, we’re relatively content that our Writing the Future prize has sparked more than a couple of new conversations and perspectives as to where we’re headed.

So, what comes next? Well, we’re keen to keep the conversations that started in 2017 continuing into 2018, and are looking for organisations to partner with us to help make that happen.

The high standard of the entries we received meant that picking the top 6 wasn’t easy. However, the headache we had then gives us the bounty now of 20 further stories that made our longlist and are sitting ready for publication.

From treatment strictly regulated by lifestyle choice, to the implications for family relationships of genetic engineering, to the use of memory altering technologies to test clinical ethics, the stories contain a whole host of themes not covered in our shortlist.

A simple partnershipYet we’re not going to publish them alone. To further the reach and discussion of the stories, we’re after 20 organisations – big, small, UK, international, health, non-health – to co-publish them with us.

A simple partnership: you publish the story on your website, along with a blog reflecting on the story’s themes, and agree to host a discussion among your staff/service-users/cyborgs, about the future of health and healthcare. In return, we give you exclusive rights to the first publication of the story, co-branded between our organisations, and beautifully set-out as per our 6 shortlisted stories. In addition, we’ll give you an exclusive sneak-peak at our analysis of all the competition’s entries to help you put your story in context.

There’s no cost – we just want to work with interested, interesting organisations. We’re offering the stories on a first-come, first served basis, so if you’re keen, drop us a line at hello@kaleidoscope.healthcare and we’ll be in touch about next steps.

Since you’re here…...we’ll let you in on a secret about Kaleidoscope’s funding. Spoiler alert: it’s not a secret. We’re a business. We design and support collaborations, run events, and help to develop strategy and policy. Our work is shaped by our clients’ challenges. We’d love to hear about yours: find out more about our services.